Ears Wide Open: Foster the People
Kevin Bronson on
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The falsetto chorus of the song “Pumped Up Kicks” is so feathery it feels as if it floated in on an ocean breeze. Maybe it did, or maybe Mark Foster, the frontman of the new L.A. quartet Foster the People, willed it his way when he was growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, as a fan of the Beach Boys. Since Foster began collaborating with ex-Malbec drummer Mark Pontius and expanded his vision to a full band, the quartet has fast become a local phenomenon. Foster the People’s show last week at Spaceland placed them squarely on the shelf next to current electro-pop artists such as Dan Black and Jack Penate, with the frontman – whose day job is working as a composer for TV/film/advertisements – amiably leading the dance party. Let summertime begin.
||| Stream: “Pumped Up Kicks”
||| Download: “Pumped Up Kicks” (flip page; e-mail required)
||| Live: Foster the People perform Tuesday at the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa, and Wednesday (along with Motion City Soundtrack, Eastern Conference Champions, Moving Picture Show and Imagine Dragons) at the Viper Room.
[…] or take) in album sales for “Torches” and three Grammy nominations since we first heard “Pumped Up Kicks.” Frontman Mark Foster penned those early tunes in his bedroom; the new songs were hatched in […]